A dreamy, though at times tense, road trip graphic novel about running away from ones past before learning to trust in yourself. Walden's graphic novels are simultaneously rooted in real life and in fantasy and "Are You Listening?" is no different.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. But there was about 150 pages of BORING content in the middle, and the author seemed to use the fact that the main protagonist is 12 years old to justify her doing some REALLY senseless things... even though her main attribute is (supposed to be) classic 12-yo quick thinking. The last 50 or so pages were kill but.... the book opens with a mystery that is never solved. And ends with two characters who have NEVER mattered having a pointless conversation. It feels like they left 150 pages of boring writing in the middle and cut an extra 30 pages that should have wrapped up the end. But still, the writing was enjoyable enough that even though the plot didn't resolve as well as I wanted, I still liked the process of reading it.

Reading We Have Always Lived in The Castle was an interesting and enjoyable experience, even considering the unnerving content. The intersection of horror between the physical realm (villagers), psychological realm (Constance's isolation, Charles' unwavering focus on the poisoning, Merricat's childish nature perhaps stemming from trauma) and a hint of the occult from Merricat's magic kept me interested in the story. It is well worth the read, and I look forward to reading more of Jackson's work, starting with The Haunting of Hill House.

Kushtakas were half man-half otter, spirits of those who had drowned. These phantoms appeared to those in danger of drowning and offered to rescue them, but aimed to turn them into kushtakas too. Only those with respect for elders and traditions and a strong will from ascetic practices were able to resist these spirits. The shamans were healers and could see into the future and tried to use their powers against the kushtakas. There are beautiful illustrations at the chapter headings. This is a nice book of native American legends.

This is the first in a new series of Georgia B&B Mysteries. It is a pleasant read with eccentric small town

Very good book/series!

This Cookbook Nook Mystery featurn

This book tells the life of the legendary Mike Fink, brawler and noted keelboatman on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Nicely illustrated and full of tall tales of the rough life of the men rowing the river boats until displaced by steamboats.

This book involves murder, a small town public library, and a bookmobile. It is a pleasant read for those who enjoy a cozy mystery. It also includes a delicious recipe for hummingbird cake.

I would recommend this book because it was both quick to read but also because the events of the story move quickly as well. The author does an excellent job characterizing the main 7 throughout. There are certain times when you have to be familiar with Shakespeare to get more out of the scene- for example, important references/parallels are made with both Hamlet and Pericles (among others). The Hamlet themes are easier to pick up on, since nearly everyone has read it, but with a more obscure show like Pericles I ended up googling a lot of information that effected the events of the book. But if you have ANY interest in Shakespeare (or found family dramas) then you'll probably really enjoy this book.